Digestive System Function

Digestive system function - Eating favorite foods is certainly a fun activity, but has it ever occurred to you how the food consumed travels in the digestion process?

Food is the main energy source for the body. The content of nutrients in it will provide energy and other substances needed by cells in the body. But before the food must go through the digestive process to become a small enough part and can be absorbed by the body.

Digestive System Function and Absorption of Foods in the Body

Breaking Nutrition in Food

Foods that have become small parts will be digested by the body in the four main processes of digestion.

Swallow

The mouth is the beginning of the entry of food and drinks into the digestive tract. Immediately after the first bite of food, the digestive process begins. When the process of chewing food into smaller parts, the salivary glands will produce saliva to help smooth food. In addition, saliva also contains enzymes that begin to digest carbohydrates to be smaller so that they can be absorbed by the intestine.

The tongue will then push the delicate food behind the mouth towards the esophagus or esophagus. Peristalsis of smooth muscle then brings food to the stomach.Read too: Benefits of Carbohydrates

Digestion in the stomach

The stomach that looks like a bag has strong muscular walls surrounding it. Besides accommodating food, the stomach also functions as a destroyer and food refiner. The stomach will produce acids and enzymes that will continue the process of digesting food. Out of the stomach, food will have a liquid texture or resemble a soft paste which then moves into the small intestine. In the stomach, the process of protein digestion begins.

Digestion and absorption in the small intestine

When measured, the small intestine has a length of about 6 meters consisting of three parts, namely the duodenum, the empty intestine (jejunum), and intestinal absorption (ileum). In it, food will be re-processed with digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas, small intestinal wall, and bile from the gallbladder. All three will work together to complete food digestion to become small units that can be absorbed into the intestinal blood vessels.

Digestive enzymes chemically break down complex food molecules to be simpler, then bile helps the mechanical digestion process which breaks down fat into smaller particles. When food through the duodenum, means the digestive process is complete. The next process is absorption.

Food absorption generally occurs in the jejunum and ileum small intestine. There are a lot of folds or so-called intestine jaws (villi). Villi has the function of expanding the absorption surface, so that food can be absorbed more efficiently.

During the absorption process, food molecules will enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. Microscopic blood vessels or capillaries in villi will absorb digestive results in the form of protein and carbohydrates, while lymph vessels in villi will absorb fat.

From there, the bloodstream will bring the digested food to the heart. Liver cells will then filter out harmful substances in the blood. The liver will also store fat-soluble vitamins and excessive nutrients, such as glucose to be stored as a backup. This nutrient reserve will be released when the body needs extra energy for example when someone runs a marathon.

Absorption in the large intestine

Most of those that enter the large intestine are leftovers that cannot be digested or absorbed and water. The large intestine consists of six parts, starting from the cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and ending with the rectum.

The main task of the large intestine is to absorb water and minerals from the rest of the food so that it makes it denser and forms feces. Peristalsis will then push the stool into the rectum until it is removed through the anus.

Adequacy of water and fiber is an important factor that supports the smooth digestion process. Make sure you drink about 8 glasses per day and eat vegetables and fruits that are rich in fiber so that the health of the digestive system is maintained for a good body condition.Read too: Foods with no Saturated FatBenefits of Honey Medically